BAXI Manresa fights, improves but falls by 4 points in Venice
Defeat by 97 to 93 in a well played and competitive game by Diego Ocampo's team who had their rival within reach until the last seconds.
97 Umana Reyer Venice | Cole 14, Bowman 1, Parks 11, Wiltjer 20, and Horton 6; Tessitori 4, Lever 3, Candi 12, Wheatle 5, Nikolic 11, and Valentine 10
93 BAXI Manresa | Benitez 7, Obasohan 9, Reyes 11, Olinde 10, and Golden 16; Akobundu-Ehiogu, Ubal 4, Steinbergs 3, Knudsen, Oriola 5, Dani Pérez 7, and Plummer 21
Partials: 27-29, 27-16, 18-24, 25-24
BAXI Manresa fell on the Italian side Umana Reyer Venice in a game that was close until the final seconds (97-93).
The game started at a frenetic pace, with both teams trading baskets. An 8-0 run gave Diego Ocampo's men a five-point lead (17-22), which the home team cut to just two by the end of the first quarter (27-29).
In the second quarter, the Italians scored nine consecutive points and took control of the scoreboard (40-33). Manresa then closed the gap to three (48-45), but the home team regained momentum and went into halftime with a nine-point lead (54-45).
After the break, the Italians continued to lead, but always by a narrow margin. At the end of the third quarter, Manresa, who had improved on both ends of the court, were trailing by only three points (72-69). Therefore, everything was still up for grabs in the final ten minutes.
In these games, the home team came out determined to seal the victory and built a maximum lead of eleven points (83-72). However, the visitors never gave up and remained in contention for the win until the final seconds of the game.
In their last game before the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers break, BAXI Manresa will visit Unicaja's challenging court, in a match that will tip off on Saturday at 8:00 PM.